Engine-starter.



v. BENDIX & H. E. VAN NESS.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8. ISIS.

Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

2 $HEETSSHEET I JW, y a/ a ATTORNEYS A WITNESSES:

V. BENDIX & H. E. VAN NESS.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, l lfi.

MM M

mg m

mm 6 H m Mn l M WM STAS FATE OFFICE.

VINCENT IBENDIX, or cnrcneo, ILLINoIs, AND HENRY 1:. Wm NESS, or ELMmA, NEW Yonx; SAID VAN NESS nssreNon or are mom T0 ECLIPSE MACHINE COMPANY, or ELMIRA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION or NEW Yomr.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters latent.

' Patented Au 6, 1918.

Application filed November 8, 1916. Serial No. 180,225.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VI CENT BnNmx, of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, and HENRY E. VAN Nnss, of Elmira, Chemung county, New York, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Engine- Starters, of which the following is' a specification.

Our invention relates to a starter for an engine such as a gas engine, and the object thereof is to provide a simple, efficient and reliable device of this character to be operated by a prime mover of any kind, such for instance as an electric motor.

Our starter embodies as a material part of its organization that type of drive or transmission exemplified in patents heretofore issuedto Bendix, for instance Patent No. 1,125,935, dated January 26, 1915, and Patent No. 1,172,864, dated February 22, 1916. This type of engine starter is characterized by a prime mover (such as an electric motor or motor-generator of the two unit and single unit starter systems respectively), and a transmission or drive for transmitting the power of the motor by means of a rotatable member, such as a screw shaft, and a driving member such as a pinionmounted thereon, for transmitting the power of the motor to some member or part'of theengine to be started, such as the fly-wheel thereof.

The object of our present invention 18110 provide atransmissionor drive of the general character described driven by a starting motor unit or by a motor generator, constructed and arranged to automatically mesh and demesh anauxiliary gear or PlIllOll with 'the fly-wheel gear or other memberof the engine. This special drive is, however, more particularly intended for use in connection with a motor-generator set 1n which a constantly rotating condition of armature shaft is presented. As shown tlns special transmission embodies a regular standard construction, of Bendix transmission or drive and in addition a certain operating connection between that pinion and the fly-wheel of the engine. Briefly speaking, this operating connection consists of a so arate pinion or gear which is operated an controlled by the inion of the screw shaft for the urpose o meshing and demeshmg the auxi 'ary pinion as respects the fly-wheel.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a'sectional elevation on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 2 is a section on the line'22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 an elevation of the additional .pinion or gear, and Fig. 4'an elevation of the spring cup or retainer.

The construction and mode of operation of the standard Bendix drive embodied in the organization about to be explained are the same as that illustrated in our patents aforesaid. It will therefore be sufiicient to merely designate the parts by reference numerals as follows: 1 is the armature shaft, 2 is the hollow screw shaft thereon, 3 the pinion or gear screw-threaded on the screw-shaft and 4 the spring driving connection between the outer end of the shaft 1 and the driving head 2. A portion of the casing of the motor is indicated at A which motor may be either a single unit or' a motor-generator.

The new or additional portion of this new organization of'transmission or drive comprises essentially a. pinion or gear operated and controlled in its movements, both rotary and longitudinal, by the pinion 3 of the standard drive, whereby such additional pinion is adapted to be meshed with and demeshed from the gear teeth 5 of a flywheel 5 or other rotatable part of the engine to be started.

Describing this additional operatin connection, the same comprises a stationary shaft 6 suitably supported in the motor casing and in a bracket 7. On this shaft there is mounted to slide and to rotate the additional or second pinion or gear 8, a bushing 9 being preferably provided in the central bore thereof. This pinion is held to its outer or right hand normal position, shown in Fig; 2, with a yielding pressure as by means of a coiled spring 10, one end of which is received Within the circular groove 8 of the pinion 8 and the other end within the groove 11 of a spring retainer 11. This retainer is made of sheet metal having a central opening so as to fit upon the shaft 6 and flanged so as to bear against the outer face of the boss a and also along the outside thereof whereby such retainer is held in proper position and centered with respect to the other parts. This spring holds the pinion 8 outwardly toward the right (Fig. 2) against the edge of a sleeve 12 acting as a stop therefor, such sleeve pressing in turn against the bushing 13 for the outer end of the shaft 6. By preference this shaft is held against rotation by means of a pin 14 passing through the shaft, bushing and bracket.

It will beobserved that the two pinions 3 and 8 are relatively so mounted that when the pinion 3 is advanced inwardly toward the motor, due to the rotation of the screwshaft 2, it will mesh with the pinion 8. as clearly indicated in Fig. 1 and also that after full meshing of these two pinions has taken place the weight disk 3 of the pinion 3 will come into contact with the righthand side, Fig. 2, of the pinion 8, with the result that the latter pinion will be moved longitudinally of its axis and along the shaft 6 against the tension of the spring 10, into mesh with the teeth of the fly-wheel. \Vhen the pinion 3 has reached its outermost position toward the left, Fig. 2, when it can no longer move longitudinally but must rotate with the shaft, it will rotate the pinion .8 and consequently rotate the fly-wheel.

\Vhen the engine starts on its own power and the pinion 3 moves backwardly along the screw shaft to home position, the pinion 8 being thereupon relieved of the pressure holding it to the left against the tension of the spring will move back to its home position, thereby becoming demeshed from the fiy-Wheel.

\Ve claim:

1. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon, a second driving member operated and controlled by the first driving member and adapted to be thereby op'eratively engaged with a part of the engine to be started but normally out of engagement therewith, and means for holding such second driving member in normal position.

2. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon, a second driving member operated and controlled by the first driving member and adapted to be thereby operatively engaged with a part of the engine to be started but nor mally out of engagement therewith, and yielding means for holding such second driving member in normal position.

3. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon, asecond driving member operated and controlled by the first driving member and adapted to be thereby operatively engaged with a part of the engine to be started but normally out of engagement therewith, and a spring for holding such second driving member in normal position.

4.'In a drive of the character described,

the combination of a motor-driven member mounted for automatic longitudinal movement when the motor is operated, a driving member mounted for rotary and longitudinal movement, and, when moved longitudinally, adapted to be engaged with a part of the engine to be started, said first-named member cooperating with the driving member to move it longitudinally, the latter member being normally out of engagement with the engine part, and means for holding the driving member in such normal position.

5. In adrive of the character described, the combination of a motor-driven member mounted for automatic longitudinal movement when the motor is operated,.a driving member mounted for rotary and longitudinal movement and, when moved longitudinally, adapted to be engaged with a part of the engine to be started, said first-named member cooperating with the driving member to move it longitudinally, the latter member being normally out of engagement with the engine part, and yielding means for holding the driving member in such normal position.

6. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a motor-driven member mounted for automatic longitudinal movement when the motor is operated, a driving member mounted for rotary and longitudinal movement, and, when moved longitudinally, ada ted to be engaged with a part of the englneto be started, said first-named member cooperating with the driving member to move it longitudinally, the latter member being normally out of engagement with the engine part, and a spring for holding the driving member in such normal position.

7. In adriv e of the character described,

the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, a second driving member which is ada ted to be rotated by the first driving mem er and to be moved thereby intoengagement with a part of the engine to be started, and means for holding the second driving member in'normal position ion having means whereby the second pinion is moved 1nto such engagement against such yielding pressure.

9. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion screw threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, a second pinion which is adapted to engage a part of the engine to be started and with which the first pinion is adapted to-mesh when the screw shaft is rotated, a spring for holding the second pinion in normal position out of such engagement with a yielding pressure, the first pinion having means whereby the second pinion is moved into such engagement against the spring pressure.

10. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion screw threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, a second pinion which is adapted to engage a part of the engine to be started and with which the first pinion is adapted to mesh when the screw shaft is rotated, and a spring for holding the second pinion in normal position out of such engagement with a yielding pressure, said second pinion being arranged in the path of movement of the first pinion and moved longitudinally thereby when the latter moves longitudinally on the screw shaft.

11. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion screw threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, a second pinion wh ch is adapted to engage a part of the engine to be started and with which the first mion is adapted to mesh when the screw s aft is rotated, and a spring for holding the second pinion in normal position out of such engagement with a yieldingpressure, said first pinion having a pro]ect1on adapted to contact the second pinion and to thereby move the latter longitudinallv into engagement with a part of the engine to be started. 12. In a drive of the character described,

' the combination of a rotatable screw shaft,

a pinion screw threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, a second pinion which is adapted to engage a part of the engine to be started and with which the first pinion is adapted to mesh when the screw shaft is the screwshaft and on which the second pinion is loosely mounted for both rotary and longitudinal movements, and a spring encircling the shaft andbearing against the second pinion to hold the latter in normal position, the second pinion being arranged in the path of the first pinion and moved thereby/ into engagement with a part of the engine to be started.

13. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion screw threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, a second pinion which is adapted to engage apart of the engine to be started and with which the first pinion is adapted to mesh when the screw shaft is rotated, a plain shaft which is parallel with the screw shaft and on which the second pinion is loosely mounted for both rotary and longitudinal movements, and a spring encircling the shaftand bearing against the second pinion to hold the latter in normal position, the second pinion being arranged in the path of the first pinion and moved thereby into engagement with a part of the engine to be started, and a spring retainer mounted on the plain shaft for holding one end of the spring.

14. In a drive of the character described,

the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion screw threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, a second pinion which is adapted to engage a part of the engine to be started and with which the first pinion is adapted to mesh when the screw shaft is rotated, a lain shaft which is parallel with the screw s aft and on which the second pinion is loosely mounted for both rotary and longitudinal movements, and a spring encircling the shaft and bearing against the second pinion to hold the latter in normal position, the second pinion being arranged in the path of the first pinion and moved thereby into engagement with a part of the engine to be started, the second pinion having on one side a groove to receive one end of the spring, and a spring retainer mounted on the plain shaft for holding the other end of the spring. 

